Lectures - Mitts Across the Pacific

On April 16, the Visiting East Asian Professionals (VEAP) Program of Washington University welcomed to campus, Yoshihiko Miyauchi, CEO of the Orix Corporation and owner of the Orix Bluewaves, and Frederick Hanser and Timothy Hanser, owners of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The owners participated in a conversation regarding the current state of baseball and discuss topics such as the use of performance enhancing drugs, the internationalization of baseball, new stadiums, salary caps, parity between teams, and the future of baseball in Japan and the United States. The panel discussion provided the community of St. Louis a unique opportunity to see firsthand some of baseball’s most powerful people as they address the game’s most intriguing and controversial issues.

In addition to the owners of the Cardinals and the Orix Bluewaves, Brad Lefton, international sports journalist and television producer, participated as the discussant. Lefton has produced documentaries about Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners and So Taguchi, a minor league outfielder for the Cardinals.